Image processing techniques are employed for various applications. For instance, techniques are used to identify a dark spot in an image generated by a sheet of laser light projected through an airflow and shock of a jet engine intake. A dark spot represents the location of the shock in the airflow.
One method of identifying the location of the dark spot is using edge detection algorithms on the captured image. The dark spot due to the shock appears as two edges within the image. Conventional techniques use high speed cameras and large computers to accomplish the image processing. This results in a large system that cannot be mounted in an engine intake of an aircraft. By using a computer, digital signal processor (“DSP”), or other digital system to perform the image processing in conventional approaches, the speed, size, and power usage of an overall sensing system depends on the processor and supporting hardware. Accordingly, an improved approach may be beneficial.